Wild Sonata

by Ida Pollock, Susan Barrie (Pseudonym)

Melanie had considered Wroxford Priory her home, until the arrival of the new heir. It soon became obvious that Sir Luke knew nothing about her being the ward of his late uncle, and it wasn't long before Melanie moved out in a huff. but she was soon to return, and this time on a much more satisfactory basis.

But soon she was back again-feeling rather differently about things this time!

Genres: Harlequin, Romance, Harlequin Romance

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Ida Crowe was born on 12 April 1908 in Lewisham, Kent, England, UK, the daughter of a single mother and a unknown father, who rumoured to be a Russian duke, who her mother met at a ball in Greenwich. Ida narrowly escaped being smothered with a pillow by the nurse who attended her birth. As a teenager, she travelled alone to Morocco, after suffering a mental breakdown. From the age of ten, she knew she wanted to write. She began to write while still at school encouraged by her mother, with whom she lived in Hastings.

Writing fiction since her very early teens, setting her first publication, Palanquins and coloured lanterns, in 1920's Shanghai and she had several stories in major magazines and short novels in print. When at 20, she visited the George Newnes's office in London, to sold her her first full-length manuscript. Three months later, she discovered that they had lost her manuscript. After they found it, she returned to London to met one of its editors, the 39 year old Hugh Alexander Pollock (1888–1971), a distinguished veteran of World War I. Hugh had been married since 1924 to his second wife, the popular children's writer Enid Blyton, with whom he had two daughters Gillian Mary (1931–2007) and Imogen Mary (born 1935). Hugh was divorced from his first wife, Marion Atkinson, with whom he had two sons; William Cecil Alexander (1914–1916) and Edward Alistair (1915–1969). George Newnes bougth her manuscript, and contract her to wrote two other novels.

In the dark days at the beginning of World War II, Ida worked at hostel for girls in London through the Blitz. Hugh, who had left publishing to join the army, was Commandant of a school for Home Guard officers, and his second marriage was in difficulties. They has a chance encounter after a long time, and feeling Ida should be out of London, he offered her a post as civilian secretary at the army training centre in the Surrey Hills. She accepted, and as the months went by their relationship intensified. During a bungled firearms training session Hugh was hit by shrapnel on a firing range, and Ida had contact with Enid, but she declined go to visit her husband in Dorking, because she was so busy and hated the hospitals. On May 1942, during a visit to her mother's home in Hastings, a bomb destroyed the house. Ida escaped unhurt, but her mother was in hospital for two weeks. Hugh, who was sent overseas, paid for Ida to stay in smart London hotel Claridges, and decided to divorce his wife, who in 1941 met Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters and had begun a relationship with him. To get a quick divorce, Hugh blamed himself for adultery at divorce petition. On 26 October 1943, Ida married with Hught at London's Guildhall register office, six days after Enid's marriage with Darrell Waters. In 1944, they had a daughter Rosemary Pollock, also a romance writer. Enid changed the name of their daughters, and Hugh did not see them again, although Enid had promised access as part of his taking the blame for the divorce.

After the World War II, George Newnes, Hugh's old firm, decided not to work with him anymore. They also represented Enid Blyton and were not willing to let her go. After this the marriage experienced financial problems and, in 1950, Hugh had to declare bankruptcy while he struggled with alcoholism. A determined Ida plunged back into her literary work, and decided to write popular contemporary romances, she sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1952. Being in print with several major international publishers at the same time, she decided to use multiple pseudonyms. At that time, the pseudonyms were registered by the publishers and not by the writers. In the 1950s she wrote as Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Rose Burghley, and Mary Whistler to Mills & Boon, as Averil Ives and Barbara Rowan to Ward Lock, as Anita Charles to Wright & Brown, as Jane Beaufort to Collins. With the production of ten or twelve titles in every year, it was not long before she becoming hugely popular r

Reviews

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I re-read this and now think it was a much nicer romance than I did upon first read. Yes, the H was a stuffed shirt at first, but his actions and words showed he really liked her. His claim that he was in love with her from the beginning was credible.

I feel like the piano and the puppy were more important to her at first than the H, and based on his behavior, her priorities were in the right order. I too, would be happier right now if someone presented me with a piano and a puppy named Sherry than with a pompous, handsome landowner.

In general this was typical Susan Barrie fare -- the H was initially a jerk and the h was a really friendly, competent person with interests of her own. (Susan Barrie H's really like competent h's, it seems.)

[Bookaddict · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was annoying the way everyone, friends of his mind you called the H Sir Luke. I felt like I was reading a regency! It was also like a house party so maybe Susan Barrie really wanted to write a historical romance!!

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melanie was Sir James ward and when he died the place and almost all possessions, exempt a few left to Melanie, were given to Sir James' nephew Sir Luke. When Luke came to reside over the property, he met a girl there and didn't realize she was the late Sir James' ward. He thought her a maid at first and was barking orders at her.

Melanie wasn't too happy Sir Luke was early, he had appalling guests who kicked her out of her childhood bedroom. She decided to move into The Rose Cottage, which was left to her from her guardian Sir James'. While trying to fix up the place, she fell off of a step ladder and seriously injured her ankle. Sir Luke demanded she stay with him. Soon enough Luke is giving her presents such as a puppy and trying to win her love but will she feel the same?

I thought this book was brilliant, I love guardian and ward books, especially when they fall in love at the end. For being such an older book, it was a joy to read. I really enjoyed Melanie's character, it was well written with quite a bit of information. However we never got any background information from her really, just her mother was dead and Sir James took over when her father died. It was perplexing.

[Rongbu]

Did not believe H was in love with h though.